question about attic storage...

[Mr.Bickle]

The ideal location, for me, to store my firearms happens to be on the third floor of my home. There is a mechanical room there that has hvac equipment and a very nice sized, raw space that is ideal for a 'gun room'. I also like this location since it is totally non public. The garage (the usual) is a no-go because there is all sorts of people coming & going through there.

The only problem with the space is that is extremely hot, as it located in a non-temperature regulated part of the house. It does however have excellent ventilation via soffit/eave venting. I am not sure exactly how hot this area gets (new to house) but pretty damn hot is the most scientific number I can give. I've noticed that there is no corrosion on any of the hvac stuff, nor any of the other 'guts' of the house in this room.

I plan on storing my small collection (by m4 standards) in there as well as ammo/accesories/ usual range stuff. Can high heat adversely affect these items? Is this space a no-go for storage?

I am aware that I won't be 'hanging out' in there due to the creature comfort factor, I was more concerned about my items. I searched around and found tons of stuff about basements, but nothing on attics. Thanks for your opions....

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

I cant provide a scientific answer, but Iraq and Afg get pretty hot, but the weapons stay g2g.

[b_w_hlls]

Depending on the Hvac system, it may be very simple to add a supply and return register in the room to make it air conditioned and heated.

[calicojack]

he'll need to plug up the soffit and vents if he does that. no big problem there. get some plywood and silicon caulk.

[JSantoro]

The soffit and vents are there for a reason. Plugging them is a very bad idea unless one has another venting solution in place.

With the proper application of Pelican or similar cases, lithium batteries are about the only thing I can think of that you w9ouldn't want to store there. They don't do well being stored in high-heat environments, and can pop and/or catch merrily ablaze.

Nothing like losing an entire gun-truck because somebody couldn't be bothered to take L91 batteries out of a PAS-13D before locking it inside.....

[ucrt]

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Are you planning on storing the guns "au naturel" or do you plan on putting them in a zipper case (bad idea) or a sealed case like JSantoro was suggesting?

If you stored guns in the attic in Louisiana, on a real quiet night, if you listened real real close ... you could hear them rusting. ;)

I have seen scopes and other sealed devices get ruined being stored in the attic because of the constant day in and day out of hot/cool cycles causes the inert gas inside to leak and O2 and H2O get inside.

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[Mr.Bickle]

[QUOTE=JSantoro;976241]The soffit and vents are there for a reason. Plugging them is a very bad idea unless one has another venting solution in place.

I agree with this. I really don't want to do any structural modifications to the area. I was more concerned with damage from the heat, not effecting an environmental change in the area.

Great point made about affecting sealed items, i.e. optics.

The firearms would be stored 'au natural' in one of those cheapo 'gun lockers' from a big store. It has a remington dessicant in it, the type you plug in to recharge, as this locker had previously resided in a basement where I had some minor issues with rust. The locker is more to keep the kids out than bad guys at this point. I do have some plans for strengthening the room to make it loud & labor intensive for anybody to bust in. My main concern right now was the high temperatures effects on the contents.

So far the consensus seems to be a green light, except for sealed/optic type items. Thanks for the info so far...

[Just a Jarhead]

Have you considered these http://www.zcorrproducts.com/

I use them. Inexpensive and effective for weapons and ammo. Just a proven added measure of protection.

[lovetashoot]

I store mine in a safe in n attic with no conditioning. I use a desiccant inside the gun safe which is easily regenerated in an oven. I occasionally run a lightly oiled rag over the metal. So far, no rust and everything seems GTG. Incidentally, I live in a humid area of the country.